The claimed invention relates to computer aided technologies (CAx) such as computer aided design, engineering, analysis and manufacture in general and apparatus, systems, means, and methods for collaborative CAx editing in particular.
Large design and engineering projects require coordination of the efforts of many designers or engineers. Designers and engineers may have various CAx tools that they have experience with, have been trained to use, or simply prefer. Existing CAx data may have been created using still other CAx tools. Each of these CAx tools may have incompatible file formats.
Efficient collaborative CAx editing should enable designers and engineers to each use their preferred CAx applications. Existing data should be incorporated into the design of an engineering object without having to be recreated or to undergo a lengthy conversion process that may result in significant data loss.
Existing CAx systems, however, are not well-suited to collaborative design and editing. Data files cannot simply be shared among several designers without coordinating editing functions and controlling access to features of the object design, or editing conflicts may result in data loss or corruption.
Accordingly, the present invention identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for collaborative CAx editing of engineering objects.